Acoustical ceiling construction



A ril 16, 1935. F. A. MANSKE ACOUSTICAL CEILING CONS IRUCTION Filed July 30, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR F/"PEDfl. MAM-5K5. I Maya A'r ToRNEY A ril 16, 1935. F. A MANSKE 1,998,424

ACOUSTICAL CEILING CONSTRUCTION Filed July 30, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2" 5 mvem'oh Fieso A. MHNSKE.

ATTORN Patented Apr. 16, 1935 PATENT OFFICE ACOUSTICAL CEILING CONSTRUCTION Fred A. Manske, Chicago, IlL, assignor to United States Gypsum Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 30, 1932, Serial No. 626,681

8 Claims.

This invention relates to building constructions, and has reference more particularly to a type of ceiling and wall construction in which a perforated metal membrane is backed by a sound absorbing pad of fibrous material.

In correcting the acoustics in rooms of buildings, it has been customary to employ sound absorbing pads or blankets made of mineral wool, hair felt, etc., faced with a membrane of perforated metal, which may be more or less omamental in character. It is desirable to have such acoustical units of comparatively large size for such work as lining the corridors in hospitals, schools, apartments, office buildings, etc., so that the units will span the entire width of the corridor up to 14 or 16 feet, if necessary.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to provide acoustical units for the ceilings and walls of rooms which will be of comparatively large size so that they may be easily and quickly erected.

A further object of the invention is to provide acoustical units of the class described in which the metal membranes are embossed for decorative purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide an acoustical perforated membrane which has integral structural ribs for imparting longitudinal strength and thickness to the membrane and to support the sound absorbing blanket in spaced, parallel relation to such membrane; also, to improve building constructions in other respects hereinafter specified and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partially in section, of my approved acoustical ceiling construction,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the elongated perforated membranes,

Fig. 3 is a face view of a building surface, showing the type of decorative effects produced by the construction,

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation through the building construction, a

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation through the acoustical ceiling construction as applied usually to old buildings,

Fig. 6 is a. sectional elevation through a modifled form of construction taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 3,

Fig; 7 is a sectional elevation through the acoustical ceiling construction taken on line l-'I of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation through a further modified form of ceiling construction.

In the preferred form of the construction, the acoustical ceiling may be supported by bar joists it, which may be composed of upper and lower T sections connected by intermediate bars H. The lower T section has outstanding flanges [2,

and to one of the flanges I2 is attached a clip l3, having a U shaped hook end H, which embraces one of the flanges l2. The clip I3 passes through a slot l5 formed in a U shaped hook clip It which embraces the opposite flange l2. A downwardly extending leg or hanger I1 is formed on the clip It by bending said leg downwardly after assembling, so as to lock the hook clips H and i8 firmly together with the flanges i2 therebetween. An aperture 98 is formed in the lower end of the leg H to receive a dowel pin 59, which is used for supporting the acoustical membranes to be hereinafter described.

An acoustical membrane 20 is formed preferably several sections in width, of sheet metal, such as tin, sheet iron, aluminum, etc. The membrane is preferably considerably longer than it is wide so as to span the distance over wide corridors in hospitals, schools, apartments, office buildings, etc., or on ceilings and walls in general of large expanse A plurality of intermediate ribs 2! are formed in the sheet metal membrane 20 as by a rolling operation, for the purpose of imparting longitudinal stiffness to said membrane. The legs of the ribs 2| are pressed tightly together and formed into a bead or loop 22 at the upper edge thereof for receiving the outstanding ends of the dowel pins IS. A U-shaped flange 23 is formed on one outer edge of the membrane 20 with the legs thereof spaced slightly apart to telescopically receive an upstanding flange 24 formed on the opposite edge of the membrane 20. The ends 25 of the ribs 2| and 23 are cut back slightly to give clearance for the reception of the clip leg 11. The pins I9 may be provided with annular beads I9a intermediate their ends so that they may be locked against axial movement by bending the top of the bead 22 inwardly by a blow from a hammer.

One end of the membrane sections 20 is bent upwardly to form flanges 21, which abut closely against the opposite plain end of the membrane sections 20. The membrane 20 is preferably perforated with triangular holes 28 over its entire surface to permit the passage of sound through the membrane when it impinges upon the lower face of the membrane due to sounds produced in a room. Any other shaped openings, such as round, oval, or elongated slots may be used in the membrane 20 instead of the triangular openings. An acoustical pad 30 of fibrous, sound absorbing material, such as mineral wool, hair felt,

etc., is preferably in the form of a blanket or partially flexible board, which is supported by the tops of the beads 22, so as to lie in spaced, parallel relation with the membrane 20 and absorb, the" sounds which pass through the opening 28.

Instead of supporting the acoustical membranes upon bar joists II or other steel sections,

it may be desired in certain cases, such as in re-- to cover the angle shelves 32 and give an ornamental efiect at the junction of the acoustical. membranes and the walls. In constructing a ceiling of this type, the angle shelf would be placed in position at one side of the corridor, and tempo- 'rary shoring struts would be used along the optemporary shoring strut.

completed, a shelf angle is placed in position.

posite wall. The acoustical membrane would then be placed, in position with one end resting upon the shelf and the other resting upon the After a full corridor is along the opposite wall, which then provides permanent support for the other end. The shoring struts are then removed, leaving the perforated membranes in position spanning from wall to wall.

In the modified form of construction shown in Figs,- 6 and 7, upstanding ribs 40 are provided with a series of openings M for the purpose of receiving wire or pencil rod hangers 42, the latter oi which, are secured to any desired supporting framework or are embedded at their upper ends in a concrete slab.

The ends of membranes 43 may be interlocked by an upstanding flange Mi on one membrane telescoping with a U-shaped flange on the end of the adjoining membrane, thus giving a smooth, even appearance at the end joints. In any of the constructions, ornamental beads 56 may be pressed into the membrane 20 for the purpose of dividing the membrane into square, tile-shaped areas, which give a pleasing architectural appearance to a ceiling.

In the modified form of construction shown in Fig. 8, a supporting runner 49 is formed of a return bent sheet of metal which extends between the abutting ends of adjacent membranes. The runner it is provided with apertures 50 to receive the supporting pins l9, and is also formed with outwardly extending flanges 5| terminating in upwardly inclined flanges 52. which bear against the lower faces of the membranes 28 so as to conceal the joint between adjacent membranes and give a pleasing appearance from below.

It is contemplated that the metal, perforated membrane may be made in any desired length up to it to Hi feet, in order to span the full width of any corridor or small room. The ribs 2! or 40 may be about 1 /2" deep, which gives the membrane a high, longitudinal strength and stiffness so as to hold the surface of the ceiling in a perfect plane, and thus gives a uniform light reflection at all points. The sound absorbing blanket rests upon the topof the ribs and no additional provisions are necessary in order to support this.

blanket so that the ribs may be placed on approximately 6 centers. The acoustical units are adapted to be used in new constructions to replace metal lath and plaster and provide directly the acoustical treatment, which may also be decorative, if the embossed tile effect is carried out. In new corridor work, the acoustical units are made in lengths equal to the width of the corridor. In the case of new work, a ledge or shoulder is provided in the brick work or tile work in the corridor to receive one end of the membrane, and

plastered in the usual way. If the spans are of so great a length that the gauge of the metal and the depth of the ribs will not permit. a free span without an intermediate support, the intermediate hanger 42 may be used for giving the membranes greater rigidity.

I would state in conclusion, that while the illustrated examples constitute practical embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to limit myself precisely to these details, since manifestly, the same may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an acoustical ceiling construction, a perforated, metal membrane arranged in a plane in units, aframe, dowel pins connecting said units, hangers connecting said pins to said frame so as to support said units on said frame, and an acoustical pad supported in spaced, parallel relationto said membrane.

2. In an acoustical ceiling construction, a perforated, metal membrane arranged in a plane in elongated units, longitudinal stiifening ribs formed on said units intermediate the edges thereof, dowel pins connecting said ribs and units end-to-end, means for supporting said units, and

a sound absorbing pad in spaced relation to a unit.

.3. A metal, acoustical ceiling element comprising an elongated, perforated, metal membrane having integral, stiifening ribs intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof formed with an outstanding bead, and a dowel pin engaging in a bead for interlocking engagement with the bead of an adjoining membrane.

i. A metal, acoustical element comprising an elongated, perforated metal membrane having longitudinal, stiffening ribs, said ribs being cut away at one end to form a recess for the reception of a supporting hanger, and a dowel pin extending into a rib for receiving said hanger and for interlocking said membrane with another similar membrane.

5..A metal acoustical element comprising an elongated, perforated, metal membrane having longitudinal, stiffening integral ribs forming tile grooves, said membrane having embossed grooves extending transversely to the rib grooves to simulate tiles, and means for attaching said element to a building frame.

6. A metal acoustical element comprising an elongated, perforated, metal membrane having longitudinal, stiffeningribs, said ribs being provided with offset recesses adjacent the ends thereof for the reception of attaching hangers.

membranes, and a sound absorbing pad supported by said membrane.

FRED A. MANSKE. 

